&nbsp The Hype: Unusual to the greater video
gaming market, Sony has sprung a series of "Sleeper" titles on us this year
that received very little hype and almost no fan fare. High on that list is
Sly Cooper, 3D action platform game with a thieving little raccoon as its hero
and a noir feel.

&nbsp What This Monkey Thought...

&nbsp Graphics: In all the hype for newer and
better- the Xbox, the Gamecube, hell even talk of the PS3, we tend to forget
exactly how pretty the PS2 can be- and it's nice that games like Sly are willing
to remind us. In a trend matching some of Sony's other sleeper hits this year
(i.e. Mark of Kri), Sly Cooper is done in a cartoony, Disney-esque animation
style that is absolutely fantastic to watch. Bordering on down right epic, the
smooth animations and vivid colors of Sly will make it almost as fun to simply
watch as a Saturday morning cartoon…and 10 times that great for the one actually
playing it. Really the only problem graphically is the occasional framerate
slowdown that, unfortunately, plagues the more difficult levels. Still, the
rate never drops so low that it's unplayable and occurs infrequently enough
that it shouldn't get too much of your goat. 4.5 out of 5

&nbsp Playability: While I've never actually
been a "fan" of action platformers (like Crash Bandicoot, Mario, or Sonic) I've
always found an excuse to pick one up every year or two- there's just something
satisfying about running around collecting goodies and exploring light hearted
levels. Thus, I expected little more than the typical from Sly and found myself
pleasantly surprised by what I got. Granted, at its heart, it is indeed the
classic strolling 3D platform game complete with amassing token items, jump
and timing puzzles, level learned new attacks, and boss fights- but layered
on top of that base (which is a strong base to be sure) is a type of strategy
and stealth gaming that really put it head and shoulders above the norm.
As the name sort
of implies in butchered Latin, Sly is a thieving raccoon who is trying to make
his way through the levels in classic platform fashion. However, unusual to
the genre, he is a thief and wants to rely more on stealth and skill than brute
force. Thus you will spend more of your time sneaking around spotlights and
avoiding detection than you will mindlessly thrashing baddies and, though the
levels are totally linear, will actual have to employ a certain amount of thought
and creativity in getting past the various traps and detection systems…kinda
like a cross between Metal Gear Solid and Spiro the Dragon. It also employs
a simple but remarkably innovative "grab" feature that lets you, with the simple
push of a button, latch on to any ladder, pipe, or overhang the level offers
up (which is a lot). The result is that, even though the path is straight, there
are a ton of ways to get from point A to point B. A nice touch to be sure that
rounds out an overall nice quality of gameplay. 4 out of 5

&nbsp Multiplayer and Replayability: No multiplayer
here- but then you've never really expected it in this game type. What is sorely
disappointing, however, is how ridiculously short the game is! I hope you don't
have more than 6 or 7 hours to kill…because you'll be lucky if this game lasts
much longer than that. Of course, replay value is based totally on your interest
in playing the same game again (which is never that high for me) and, thus,
dinks Sly for it's worst rating at 2 out of 5. Ouch.

&nbsp Story/Dramatics: Nowadays platformers
usually have a story- something simple and stupid about an evil scientist and
some genetically modified fruit…but Sly surprises again with its pleasant, relatively
deep (emphasis on the "relatively"), and its tongue and cheek approach to not
only its own story line but the homage's they make to other games (including
the afore mentioned Metal Gear Solid). The story, simply enough, is that Sly's
father has been murdered and a sacred book on the arts of thieving have been
stolen. So, it's up to Sly to avenge the death and get the book back. Okay,
so it's not original, but it is fun and at times very funny. 3.75 out of 5

&nbsp The Verdict:

All in all, Sly Cooper is a great
game and may well be the ultimate sleeper hit of 2002. Why Sony didn't
hype this like a "Britney Spears Caught Drunk at Mardis Gras" video is
beyond me. It's pretty, smooth, fun to play, and actually offers some
innovation on the tired old platform genre.

&nbsp The Good: Pretty as all get out, good
gameplay, cool new features, fun story.

&nbsp The Bad: Some framerate slowdowns and
shorter than my attention span.

&nbsp The Overall Ugly: Definitely a great game
for those who like platformers.